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Tag Archives | All-Electric

When three of the guys behind the Tesla Roadster set out to build a motorcycle, you know it’s not going to be your run of the mill bike.

And you’d be right. The Mission One from Mission Motors wants to redefine the way we think of two-wheeled transportation by creating an all-electric motorcycle that performs as good (if not better) than it looks while creating zero emissions along the way. Using a combination of lithium ion batteries, a high performance electric motor, and an onboard computer system, the Mission One is designed to go 150 miles on a single charge and top out at 150 miles per hour.

Batteries have long been the limiting factor for electric vehicles, since they’re seen as heavy, large and expensive, but with Mission One’s lithium ion batteries, the bike can be lighter, cheaper, and carry more energy, and it’ll only take 2 hours to charge between fun runs. The bike also uses a regenerative braking system to gain back some of the energy typically lost during a ride.

On the performance side of things, the electric motor means you can tap all 100 foot-pounds of torque at any time from 0-60 mph, giving you a limitless torque curve that can pull you out of any tricky turn. Ohlins forks, Ohlins shocks, Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels round out the physical components, while a real time wireless data acquisition system ensures that the rider knows at all times exactly what’s going on at the track and on the street.

The body itself was designed by Yves Behar of Fuse Project, the man behind the Jawbone headset, so it also looks as good as it performs. With angular lines, modern materials and a sleek, futuristic silhouette, it’s like a combination of a Ducati and a KTM that work well in all the right places.

If the bike of the future is calling your name, then give Mission Motors a call, because at just $69,000 the Mission One will be going fast in more ways than one.

What has eight wheels, eight motors, four wheel steering, runs on electricity, and accelerates faster than a Corvette?

The Eliica (which stands for Electric Lithium-Ion Car) was conceived by Hiroshi Shimizu and designed by a team at Keio University in Japan, and supposedly can go up to 200 miles per charge, and tops out at more than 230 mph.

It reaches those amazing speeds through the use of eight electric motors, each generating 80 hp and powering its own wheel (for a total of 640 horsepower!) and though only two are currently in existence, the team hopes to build 200 of them once it can find a corporate sponsor.

200 mph in an electric car that seats four and will go 200 miles before needing a change?

Being all-electric didn’t stopped BRABUS from getting their tuner hands on the new Tesla, but is did stopped them from making changes to the drivetrain, suspension, or even a majority of the body panels.

Instead what they focused on was gadgets and gizmos to add to the already gadget and gizmo filled ride.

Changes include a “space sound generator” that gives you the sound of a simulated V8, simulated race car, or two “futuristic soundscapes” named ‘Beam’ and ‘Warp’ when you mash the go pedal, “space lights” (better known as an underbody kit), a new rear spoiler and rear diffuser, front lip and integrated daytime running lights (stolen from Audi), and a custom-tailored BRABUS interior and tire/wheel combo.

Apparently BRABUS felt that the Tesla was some sort of sacred ground, because this is definitely the lightest hand they’ve touched any car with, but hey, at least it’s a start.